"It was mega lolz, I don't know what everyone is getting so freaked out about," he said, referring to his crimes.

The phrase "mega lolz" was also used by the Lostprophets on some of their t-shirts. The group also performed in front of a back-drop saying MEGA LOLZ! on the main stage of the Reading Festival in 2010.

Ian Watkins pleaded guilty to two charges of attempting to rape a baby

The Lostprophets perform against a back-drop saying MEGA LOLZ! on the stage at Reading Festival

Child-protection campaigner Dr Sara Payne branded the BBC's use of the phrase as "distressing".

Speaking to The Sun she said: "It will be highly distressing for anyone preyed upon by Watkins to hear these words used light-heartedly on morning radio.

"After what happened with the Jimmy Saville scandal, the BBC should know better."

The BBC said that the phrase was "a commonly used colloquialism among young people."